President Obama has released his long-form birth certificate to the public. The White House hopes it will silence "birthers" who think he is a foreigner.

Leading birther Donald Trump claimed victory. Obama derided the movement as a group of "sideshows and carnival barkers."

But the birthers aren't backing down. Many say the fact that it took Obama years to make his birth record public suggests it's a forgery.

Strategists posit Obama purposefully withheld his birth certificate to make the birthers and his political opponents look crazy.

But now that Obama has shown his cards, he has strengthened the hands of mainstream Republicans who are no longer forced to take a stand on the issue.